The Untamable
by Krys Griffin
Summary: A tale about the "Perfect World"'s origins. Thousands of years in the past of the game's present, an evil mage seeks to dominate the world by magically taming humans. Everyone wants him to succeed, right? No, I don't own "Perfect World"... in any form....
1. Prologue: Shadows in the Night

_Prologue – Shadows in the Night_

*****

"Tegeira…" a quiet voice in the darkness calls. "Tegeira, wake up!"

"Hn?" She replies trying to go back to sleep.

"Come on… you need to wake up. We have to leave."

She sits up slowly rubbing her eyes, "Why big brother?"

"Shh! Hurry they're almost here!" muffled shouting and the sounds of combat drift in through the shuttered window.

"Where will we go?"

"I don't know… dad said we should try to find Lady Arilynn if anything ever happened and he wasn't here with us. I think we should try to find her."

"Where is she?"

"I have an idea… but I'm not sure if it'll work. Take these," he says handing her a wrapped bundle, "CAREFULLY!!! They're sharp."

She unwraps the hilts of a pair of long knives, "What are these for Kiba?"

"Just… hold on to them for now. Hopefully you won't have to use them." He sighed then picked up the long handled wood-cutting axe, "Ready?"

"No," she answered getting out of bed and moving over to the window, "but I never will be so let's just go, okay?"

*****

They scurried through the remains of their hometown, staying to the shadows and hiding in the debris left in the wake of the battle raging through the area whenever the sounds of combat got too close to them. Tegeira followed Kiba closely, hoping her brother's faith in Lady Arilynn was well founded, and wondering who, or even what, these strange people with wings are that are destroying her home.

"FREEZE FEATHER-HEADS!" A man in plate armor shouts suddenly stepping out of hiding and holding his long swords towards them in a menacing fashion.

Kiba glared at this stranger and moved to place himself between this threatening man and his sister. Tegeira, however, noticed that the man wasn't really looking at her and her brother, and turned to see three other people, 'feather heads' as the man had called them, close behind her… two with longbows drawn to fire.

"I am Tsubasaa, Knight Protector of the Order of Heaven. You will not harm these children."

"The Master seeks all to follow him to freedom. Why do you choose to remain oppressed?" Asked the woman standing behind the two bow wielding men.

Kiba pulled Tegeira to the side and whispered in her ear, "Sis… I want you to run. Find Lady Arilynn. Stay safe."

"What are you…?" She started to reply when he roughly shoved her behind him and ran towards the trio.

"BY THE MASTER'S WILL!" Shouted the woman firing a crimson lightning bolt at Kiba.

"Run girl," Tsubasaa said as he too ran towards the trio, but before she could move the woman cast another of her bolts and Tegeira's world turned dark.


	2. Chapter 1: A World of Chances

_Chapter 1 – A World of Chances and Changes_

*****

"Wake up, little one…" a gentle voice called softly followed by an equally gentle shaking.

"Mom…?" Tegeira asked groggily confused for a moment. "No… can't be… mom's dead… unless?" She slowly looked around to see a pretty, pale blond woman wearing a funny looking "Cat's Ears" headband and smiling at her.

"Nope, you are not dead." She stated cheerfully. "You're actually pretty lucky kiddo. You weren't enslaved by that spell that hit you and your boyfriend."

"Brother," Tegeira corrected quietly since her throat felt funny.

"I'm Lunareth, just call me Luna."

"Tegeira," she answered, trying to sit up but was quickly fatigued and laid back down.

"Lord Xasth and Tsubasaa are taking care of your brother right now," she said with a slight tremor of sadness in her voice, "some don't take to the changes as well as others."

"Changes?"

"Hey Luna… how's the fish-girl doing?" asked another blonde haired woman sticking her head through the doorway.

"Probably not as well as she was a moment ago Lady Xerran." Luna answered with a sigh.

"Oh! Sorry." The woman said ducking back out or the room.

"Sorry about that, Tegeira. Wizards can be so flighty sometimes."

"F-f-fish g-girl? W-was she ref-fering to m-m-me?"

"Put simply… yes," Luna stated. "You may have noticed the odd feeling in your throat… an increased sensitivity to light… maybe hair and skin color and texture?"

Tegeira nodded shakily to the first two questions, and pulled her pale gray and slightly scaly arms out from under the blankets to see what had happened to her, then pulled her coarse purple hair forward and began to cry.

"We don't know if you'll change any more… but you don't have to worry about being a 'Feather-Head'," she said laughing. Tegeira's glare quickly sobered her up though, "Sorry, Tsu's name for those tamed minions is just so funny to me."

"What happened to me… to my brother?" Tegeira asked in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Oh… the easy questions," Luna said shaking her bowed head. "I'll tell you what I can, young-one… but I don't know everything about it either." She paused and looked Tegeira in the eyes, "You and your brother were hit with a very powerful spell. As far as we've been able to find there's no way to block it, and everyone it touches is changed in some way. It apparently only works once on any given person, which I'm sure gives Baron Castes all sorts of gripes, but that's beside the point. About two thirds of those affected are turned into 'feather-heads,' tamed human slaves for the Baron's amusement. A few, very few, of those still retain enough of their humanity to try to run or commit suicide, but most of them will blindly follow his whims."

"And the last third… is where I am right?"

"Indeed. About a third of those not enslaved appear human still, like Lady Xerran and Tsubasaa, the rest take on some aspect of an animal, you're part shark it looks like… me… I'm part cat." She said shaking her long gray tail in front of Tegeira's face. "Since the 'feather-heads' are the 'tamed' many have started calling us the 'untamable.'"

"Can it be reversed?"

"The Baron might be able to… but we can't… and getting him to is highly unlikely. We do have a cadre of highly trained technicians working on it though, so don't give up hope just yet."

"How much longer will I be here?" Tegeira asked trying to sit up again.

"You appear to be over the worst of it, a day, maybe two, and the weakness should be gone." She patted Tegeira's leg, "don't worry about it. Lord Xasth will let you know."

"Can I help?"

"With the fight?" Tegeira nodded. "Don't worry about that right now either. I'll have some food brought up in about an hour. Just rest up, okay?"

Tegeira nodded, "It was nice meeting you Luna."

"You too, kiddo."

*****

A slight rustling woke her several hours after her lunch dishes had been collected, "Hmn?"

A deep grunt sounded near the doorway.

"Kiba?" Tegeira asked rolling to see the door, and pulling the covers up to her chin when she saw the creature in her doorway, because while it was clearly male, it could not be called a 'man' by the definitions she had been taught in school.

"I am not he." It said in a gravelly voice.

"What are you?" she asked clearly scared of the wolf-like beast in front of her.

"I am Xasth."

"That's not what I asked you," Tegeira said sitting up straighter.

"In polite society it is proper to introduce yourself when meeting new people."

"I'm Tegeira… your… lordship…" fear and trembling choking on the last of her reply. She'd never met a noble, even a beast-like one as Lord Xasth, but their displeasure with being addressed informally is well known to such commoners as she.

"Don't be afraid of me." He said, though Tegeira could hear some strain in his voice, but then he continued giving her fear a new focus, "the smell of your fear is making me hungry."

Mustering up all the courage she could summon, she tried to calm herself and ask, "Did you want something from me your lordship?"

"Stop that too," he said flatly. "Just call me Xasth, alright? Now come along the Weapon Master wants to see you." When Tegeira didn't move, he let out a frustrated sigh, "What is it now?"

"I… don't have anything to wear."

"Didn't my wife, Xera, stop by earlier?"

"She called me 'fish-girl' and left when Luna said something to her about it."

"I see." He said and paused in thought for a moment, "I'll have something brought to you. When you're ready, please meet me at the Weapon Master's place. Take the stairs to the first floor, turn right, and it's the last door on the left."

"I will be there as soon as I can, sir."

Lord Xasth let out a pained sound and left.


	3. Chapter 2: Training Blind

_Chapter 2 – Training Blind_

*****

"Interesting toys you have," a woman says as Tegeira stepped into the Weapons Master's room, "Lord Xasth had to take care of other business and couldn't stay to introduce us."

"Are you the weapons master?" Tegeira asked tentatively.

"I was... and for you will be for a time." She replied finally turning to face Tegeira with dead white eyes.

"But...?"

"I'm blind? Why should that matter?"

"How can you teach me if you can't see what I'm doing wrong? Not that I'm ungrateful for the instruction... but I didn't even ask for this."

"I may not have eyes to see you with, but that does not mean that I can not see you," she said leaning back against a workbench. "As for the instruction... that, is why you've come to see me."

"Who are those feather-heads? Why did they attack my home?"

"They are the slaves of a cruel master. Once human as you were, normal blacksmiths, bakers, children... but not anymore. We've tested them, and ourselves, something in that spell that was used on us has changed us... none of us are human anymore."

"But?"

"Listen. Lord Xasth thought you old enough to handle yourself, or he'd not have asked for me to take you on. If you don't want to learn weapons-craft, the door is behind you."

"I... no... I will accept your offer."

"Then catch," she threw a wrapped bundle at Tegeira, "Get dressed. Then I'll show you where you'll be sleeping for a while."

"What are these for?" Tegeira asked pulling a pair of sticks out of the bundle.

"Practice. You aren't strong enough to use those daggers you brought with you for long yet. Those will help toughen you up a little first. Any other stupid questions?"

"No... um... ma'am... what should I call you?"

"Kondrieu."

*****

"Higher."

"Yes, ma'am."

"You're distracted, what is it?"

"You should know, you're psychic after all."

"Ten laps for insolence, and I do know. I want to know if you'll admit to it."

"I want to see my brother."

"There's nothing you can do for him. Put him out of your mind, he's distracting you from your studies."

"I will try to ma'am." Tegeira turned to begin her laps.

"Wait."

"Ma'am?" Tegeira paused.

"Give me those. It's about time you started working with real blades."

*****

"You're nearly to the limits of what I can teach you, Tegeira."

"You've taught me so much Kondrieu."

"You still aren't quiet enough, but it's time I passed you on to someone that can teach you the skills you'll use in the real world."

"Lord Xasth commented this morning that I wasn't doing enough to keep me out of trouble."

"And you aren't. Look at your daily training regime... when you came to me a year ago, you wouldn't have made it through the first twenty minutes of what you do now."

"Who will I be training with now?"

"Her name is Angel Heart. She's young yet, but knows enough to help you."

"When do I meet her?"

"Soon. Do you have any other questions for me?"

"No ma'am."

"None at all?" Tegeira shook her head, "Impressive. A year ago there was a man on your mind all the time, now you don't even think of him."

"My brother?"

"Yes Tegeira... your brother. Lord Xasth will show you to him before you meet with Angel."

"I... yes ma'am."

"He's waiting for you in his office, I trust you remember the way? Good luck, Teg."

"Thank you, Kon."

*****

"S3, P48, R12... what does this mean, sir?" Tegeira asked looking at the card Lord Xasth handed her as she walked into his office.

"It's where your brother is." Lord Xasth sighed and sat down heavily on the front of his huge oak desk.

"Sir?"

"Section 3, Plot 48, Row 12... in the cemetery. I should have told you sooner but we thought it would hinder your training."

"Kiba..." Tegeira whispered, then firmed her voice, "When, sir, how?"

"He died about a month after you both arrived. He fought the changes that had happened to him, wouldn't except what he'd become. In the end, his mind gave out, and he lost the will to live anymore."

"You were right, sir. It wouldn't have helped if I'd known."

"You're dealing with this better than I thought you would."

"No, sir," Tegeira interrupted him, "I feel like killing something... but there's no reason for my pain and anger to cloud my judgment."

"One last thing before you go," He said rising to his feet.

"Yes sir?"

"Have you given any thought to a code name? I'm sure Kondrieu spoke to you of them."

"Yes sir, she did, but I don't know what I should use."

"How about... Snow?"

"Cold, uncaring, bitter, sharp, and deadly? Is that how you see me?"

"Snow is also blinding, beautiful, soft, playful and happy... or at least brings happiness to others."

"I see. Thank you, sir. I shall be 'Snow' then."

"Angel is waiting for you at the front gate. Be careful, Snow."

"I'll do my best, sir." Tegeira replied, then turned and left his office.

"I hate losing people, and she has such great potential."

"She's not lost yet Xasth," Xerran said stepping out of the side room she'd been listening in on Tegeira's interview from.

"No Xera?" He asked taking his wife in his arms, "perhaps you're right... but she isn't ours anymore either. What she'll choose to do now is entirely up to her. I hope we gave her what she needs."

"You sound like you want to be her father," she said kissing his furry cheek.

"Give me some of my own and I wont need to adopt our students," He answered picking her up and carrying her out of the room.


	4. Chapter 3: Snow, Angel & a boy named Tsu

_Chapter 3 – Snow, Angel and a boy named Tsu_

*****

"How did you...?"

"Oh, that's simple Angel... here watch," Tegeira said as she started to slowly demonstrate how to do the move she'd just used.

"FREEZE FEATHERHEADS!" a man shouts as he steps out to face them.

"Hey Tsu," Tegeira replied off-handedly.

"Don't you recognize us silly?" Angel asks at the same time.

Tsubasaa's face fell into pained sadness, "What happened? How did they turn you?"

"OH! You mean these?" Tegeira asked pulling the feathers out of her hair, "We figured that if the enemy thought we were with them then we could gather information easier."

"Hence the feathers," Angel finished.

"Cleaver... has it worked?" He asked hopefully.

"Not so much... Angel panicked so we had to kill that last group."

"Sorry Snow. But didn't it work on that first guy?"

"It might have just been his hormones..."

"But?"

"Drop it Angel. I'm not in the mood to discuss what I did to that guy... especially with Tsubasaa here."

"What did you do Teg?" Tsubasaa asked.

"Not now Tsu. I got some information from one of them when Angel and I got separated." She said somewhat angrily, then turned away from him and muttered, "I doubt I'll ever feel clean again..."

"What did you do?"

Tegeira sighed and started putting the feathers back into her hair, "It's nothing you can do anything about now ,Tsu. Just drop it okay?"

"Angel... what did she do."

"She said his name was Azure... something. She mostly just calls him Zuzu when she will speak of him though."

"SHE WHAT?"

"I said drop it Tsu..."

"Oh Tsu! You should ask her why she calls him Zuzu."

Tsubasaa raised an eyebrow at this, but Tegeira only ground out, "Shut... up... Angel," before she turned and stalked away.

"She called out for you Tsu... but I think she's to embarrassed to talk to you about it."

"Right." He looked over at Tegeira, "Why would she do that? We've hardly ever seen each other... and never in a social occasion."

"Will you two stop flirting with each other, we still have work to do." Tegeira said as she walked back over to them. "Here Tsu. You might want to try this too."

"Why is that, Teg?" He asked taking the feathers she was handing to him.

"I think you'd have noticed. Our enemy works in trios while many of our units work as solos or pairs."

"Yes but?"

"Don't you think they might find it strange for our group to not be a trio?"

"Hmm, yes." He started to put the feathers in his hair crookedly, but Tegeira stopped him with an exasperated sigh and did it for him. "Angel, give Tsu your bow. I've not seen heavy armor clerics yet."

"Clerics? As in clergy?"

"You might think of them as such, Tsu," Tegeira said sadly, "they have some really strange abilities."

"Like what?"

"I've seen them raise their dead... and don't tell me they weren't dead, I'd killed them myself," she overrode him as he started to say something.

*****

"I'm worried about Tegeira," Tsubasaa said to Angel as the girl in question scouted ahead. "I mean, there's just no way to raise the dead."

"I've seen it Tsu. It's true."

Tegeira hurried back to them, "There's a patrol ahead. Be ready... and Tsu... whatever you do... don't call them 'featherheads.'"

"Then what should I call them?"

"They call themselves 'winged elves,' kind of fitting actually if you ever see them fly." Angel put in.

"You've seen them fly?" Tsubasaa had a hard time grasping this new power in their enemy's arsenal. "How are we going to fight them now? We can't fly."

"Shh!" Tegeira complained angrily slapping a hand over Tsu's mouth. "Only the squad leader is supposed to have much in the way of free will. It's a life of slavery they're trapped in."

Tsubasaa whispered when Tegeira finally removed her hand, "You've seen them fly?"

"Zuzu flew me to his roost."

"That damned... elf again! Just wait until I get my hands on him. I'll..."

"You'll do nothing. Unless he's attacking. And even then I want you to capture him if you can."

"No."

"Tsu...."

"No!"

"I'm not your wife... I'm not even your girlfriend. You have no say in what I do and who I do it with. So just get over this petty jealousy you have against Zuzu. He might have been my first, but that doesn't mean he'll be my only... yet it still doesn't mean you'll ever get that from me either. Especially if you keep this attitude problem up."

Tegeira's rant was cut off by a sharp intake of breath, "By the master... ATTACK!" The enemy patrol had found them unprepared.

"HOLD!" Angel shouted suddenly, "the Master wishes you to move farther towards the city square North of here. Be mindful of stragglers and the enemy, we've just dealt with these." She waved the staff she'd found towards the bodies nearby.

"My apologies ma'am. We didn't know there was a patrol like yours here."

"Do you expect the Master to share every detail with his underlings?"

"No ma'am."

"Then you have your orders. Take your unit and move out."

"Of course." He turned and led his squad away.

Tsubasaa chuckled, "That was interesting."

"Thanks Angel... you saved our tails there."

"Just doing my part Snowy."

*****

"She did what?"

"Calm down dear. Tsubasaa's report just mentioned that it happened, he didn't go into specifics. If you want more information, then perhaps we should call her back in."

"Hmm... do it."

*****

They found and followed a different group of elves to what appeared to be an outpost of some kind, "Okay you two, stay down and keep quiet. I'm going to scout out the entrance ahead."

"Why don't I go, Teg."

"Tsu... you've seen the reactions you get playing heavy armor archer..."

"So?"

"Snow's right Tsu... just let her go."

"Tsk! Fine... but watch yourself."

"You know me Tsu... when am I not careful?" Tegeira grinned evilly.

Tegeira sprinted along the wall to the opening, but stopped dead as she ran into a man as he stepped out.

"Ow..." He said holding her in his arms, "what's the hurry?"

"Zuzu?" Tegeira asked quietly, recognizing the voice.

"Snow?" He held her out a bit, to confirm who she was, "but... you can't... you have to leave... quickly."

"Why?"

"The elites are coming to inspect. They'll kill you, if they find you, and if you're here they will find you."

"But...?"

"No." He glanced around quickly, "I'll go with you, but please... we have to go right now."

Tegeira nodded slowly, "Alright, let's get..." the rest of what she was saying was cut off as Zuzu picked her up and launched them into the sky. Tegeira couldn't do anything to help or warn Tsu, as they sailed over where he and Angel were hiding.

*****

"Well this isn't good."

"Hmm?"

"Lady Xerran just sent a summons for Snow to report back to her. She wants to know what you've been able to discover so far."

"I can do that."

"I know... but I have a feeling they wanted Tegeira specifically."

"I'll go report. You see if you can find Snow... she'll probably need help out of whatever prison that man took her to."

"Right..."

*****


	5. Chapter 4: UnTamed?

_Chapter 4 – Un-Tamed?_

*****

"I'm taking you to see my cousin and his wife!" Zuzu shouted over the wind of our passage.

Since I'd quickly found that he couldn't hear my replies I just tapped his chest and drew a question mark.

"Don't worry! You'll be safe with them!"

All I could do was shrug as I thought of Tsu and Angel back in the ruined city. 'I wish I could warn them, or better yet bring them along,' Tegeira thought to herself, 'but it seems that when it comes to Zuzu, I'm aways flying solo and blind.'

*****

"Hey Apo! Where's that hideous wife of yours?" Zuzu called as he landed in front of the door.

"Azure! You know that is really rude." Came a woman's voice just before the door opened, "OH! Who is this Azure?"

Zuzu set Tegeira down carefully and hugged her from behind, "This... is Snow."

The ebony skinned woman looked shocked, "The one you told Apo about?"

"The same." Zuzu replied with a slight nod.

"Apo will be so pleased to meet you," she said taking Tegeira's hands in her own, "Now, since my husband's rude cousin has not bothered to introduce us properly, I am Shamina."

"You're... one of the Untamed... aren't you?"

"Untamed?" She asked, "I know not of such people."

"Azure my dear cousin! How are you this fine day?" asked a pale skinned man with long blond hair as he landed next to us.

"As well as well can be when helping our 'master's' enemies avoid his evil hands."

"You mean?" Tegeira leaned to the side and looked up at Zuzu.

"Yes, Snow... not all of us are fully under that evil bastard's control." Zuzu told her.

"We still have to obey direct orders... well any order... but we have minds of our own still and can interpret those orders in other ways." Apo continued.

"Are there... many like you?" Tegeira asked.

"Not really. My sister Amara might be... but I haven't seen her since the change."

Apo took over again, "but if you see Azure's other sister, Aeryn... run. If she has free will, she's chosen to follow the master's will entirely. She's become one of his elites."

"Yes... and by protecting you, Snow, she'll tell her master about me... and possibly Aponie here as well."

"Why would she do that?" Shamina inquired.

"I think she knows about you Shamina."

"We should get you family someplace safe, Zuzu," Tegeira said quietly.

"Yes, but where?" He responded as Apo laughed and commented on how cute his cousin's nickname was.

"I know a place, but I'd have to ask first," Tegeira said softly, "I don't think they'd like you guys just showing up unannounced."

"How do you plan to contact them?" Apo asked.

"Oh... that should be easy. Before Zuzu flew off with me, I was trying to tell him about the two others I had with me. I'm pretty sure Tsubasaa has one of the new communicator units my old teacher told me about a few months ago. The researchers had almost perfected them so we could talk to each other all the time."

"Instant communications... anywhere?"

"That's right Apo. But the unit I looked at wasn't the easiest to work, I kept receiving messages meant for others."

"Why do you not have one of these units now then?"

"As far as I know, there is only about a hundred units so only those who need them, like our officers, get to have one right now."

"I wish we had something like that."

"If we did that bastard would always be able to give you orders. We're better off without it Apo."

"True."

"Okay. Give me a couple of hours to craft a letter. Then it might be better if Shamina delivers it."

"But...?"

"We'll have to escort her to a safe spot... but she'll have to go on from there alone. You two boys will be killed first and questioned second, she'll at least get a chance to speak first."

"Okay."

*****

"Sir!" The man saluted Lord Xasth as he entered the room, "there's a messenger at the gate wanting to present you with a letter."

"What's so special about that, that you'd barge in here and interrupt my meeting?"

"I was told to present you with this as a token of who the letter is from," he said as he bowed and handed over a metal disk-like object.

"A throwing star?" Lord Xasth asked skeptically.

"I believe that is supposed to be a 'snow flake' my lord," said the one Lord Xasth had been meeting with.

"Snow..." he paused for a second, "Bring the messenger to me, but I want Tsubasaa and my wife to attend to this as well."

"As you command my lord," the messenger bowed and backed out of the room closing the door behind him.

"It seems young Tegeira has finally admitted that she needs our aid."

Lord Xasth shook his head, "No... I don't think she would ask for help if she needed it for anything simple. Whatever this is," he said as he spun the snow-flake disk in his hand, "you can bet it will not be simple or easy."

"Perhaps the note is not from her? Did not Tsubasaa report her as kidnapped during her last mission?"

"You're right... we have no proof yet. So... we will just have to see what message is brought to us before we act."

.


End file.
